Dearest Rachel – It’s been decided, at least by me – and when I’m the one driving, that’s basically the one opinion that matters. We’ll be heading downstate one last time on Saturday (although who knows if Ellen will need more help with her mom’s old townhome, as she and her sisters wind up theContinue reading “Starting in the Dark”
Tag Archives: effort
Set in Concrete
Dearest Rachel – So yesterday was our last day of actual work. Today, we’ll be on what they refer to as an ‘adventure day’; another nod to the ‘volun-tourism’ concept we discussed the other day. But with my work as an educator over with, this last day was spent doing manual labor – which, toContinue reading “Set in Concrete”
Hate to Disappoint
Dearest Rachel – As happens every week these days, I’m meeting up with Lars to walk for a couple of hours (granted, due to the combination of the recent heat wave and the current threat of rain, we’ll be doing so for the second straight week at the mall over in Rosemont, rather than theContinue reading “Hate to Disappoint”
A Weight Off My Ankles
Dearest Rachel – Since I wasn’t completely laid up by my cold during the latter half of last week – sure, I confined myself to the house for a day, but it wasn’t as if I was flat on my back for the better part of twenty-four hours like I used to be – itContinue reading “A Weight Off My Ankles”
Am I Really Doing Well?
Dearest Rachel – One of the side effects of this new habit of mine of daily exercise is the paradoxical fact that I wake up more sore than when I went to bed. One of the very points of sleep is to let your body rest and heal itself, so that by morning, you shouldContinue reading “Am I Really Doing Well?”
God’s Veto Power
Dearest Rachel – You would have never countenanced it: “Son, when you leave, can you take that out of here? It’s been in the corner for too long already, and I don’t feel like looking at it anymore.” “Okay, sure, Dad; I’ll bring it back to the house.” “No, don’t bring it back to my house.”Continue reading “God’s Veto Power”
Last-Minute Preparations
Dearest Rachel – As embarrassed as I may be to relate this to you, at least I can take comfort in the fact that you wouldn’t be giving me grief about it, as you were every bit as prone to procrastination (on a regular basis, I might add) as I have been this Christmas season.Continue reading “Last-Minute Preparations”
The Hard Way
Dearest Rachel – To think that I was just telling you yesterday about the beauty of the first snows of winter. That beauty comes at rather a cost, after all, foremost of which is the cold. Already, I find myself challenged as to how heavily to dress for one activity or another – for example,Continue reading “The Hard Way”
Not Doing It For Me
Dearest Rachel – Fall is certainly making itself felt, with cooler temperatures and shorter days; indeed, that was just brought home yesterday when we had to set our clocks back. But at the same time, it’s not gotten so cold yet that I find myself having to wear the really bulky clothes that conceal theContinue reading “Not Doing It For Me”
The Second Side of Solomon
Dearest Rachel – I wonder if, after my letter from just the other day touching on the subject, my change in attitude is likely to give you a touch of whiplash. At the same time, for all your own emotional stability in general, you were acquainted with the caprice of mood from time to time,Continue reading “The Second Side of Solomon”
Six-and-a-Half
The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Mary Schmich, “Advice, like youth, is wasted on the young,” Chicago Tribune, June 1, 1997 Dearest Rachel – In this case, the epigraph is only half right. Sure, the race that is life is a bit of a marathon, but in the incrementContinue reading “Six-and-a-Half”
Just Enough That It Hurts
Dearest Rachel – They say that a single hour of working out every week can make a big difference in one’s life, health-wise. That may or may not be true – I do see the results after each visit, even if they are only temporary in effect – but they also suggest that the processContinue reading “Just Enough That It Hurts”
Letters to Rachel 